UK warns against Israel removing it from Gaza ceasefire center, and other news in the Middle East
Palestinians walk past a food-aid warehouse damaged in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a nearby house in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
The United Kingdom warned against any attempt by Israel to remove British officials from the Gaza ceasefire coordination center on Friday, after reports that Israel was considering expelling U.K. officials.
Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza killed three people from the same family as the county continues its attacks despite a monthlong ceasefire brokered by the United States.
Here’s a look at the latest developments Friday in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
UK says it is committed to Gaza peace plan
The U.K. government said on Thursday that it remains committed to implementing the 20-point Gaza peace plan, and any move to remove its officials would “undermine shared efforts.”
The comments came in response to reports that Israel is considering expelling officials from Britain and other European nations from the monitoring center. The U.K. remains committed to “playing our part in improving the situation on the ground,” the British government told The Associated Press.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry on Thursday said Israel was removing two Dutch diplomats from the ceasefire center. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the decision was in response to a Dutch ban on the trade of Israeli products from the occupied West Bank and other ” anti-Israel measures.”
Israeli strike in Gaza kills 3
Two brothers and another relative were killed on Friday in an Israeli strike on the family’s home outside Khan Younis, officials at Nasser Hospital said. Israel’s military said it was not aware of a strike in Khan Younis.
The three deaths were the latest in Gaza since an October ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas.
While the heaviest fighting has subsided, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes, killing at least 1,303 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza. The agency’s casualty records are generally considered reliable but don’t provide a breakdown of civilians and militants.
Iran objects to US economic pressure
Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned a new round of U.S. economic measures against the country, calling them “economic terrorism” and saying Tehran would use all available means to counter them.
The ministry said the sanctions violated international law and called on other countries to refrain from implementing them. It accused Washington of using the U.S. dollar to pressure other countries into complying with its policies.
Earlier this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent vowed to fully sever Iran from the global economy and threatened countries that continue to do business with Iran with secondary sanctions. It was part of the U.S. campaign to use economic pressure to try and wring concessions from Iran.